EP1810883B1 - Device for reducing the space between a vehicle and the platform - Google Patents

Abstract

The system for reducing a small gap between the floor (2) of a public transport vehicle and a platform (1) or pavement consists of a hinged panel (3) on one side of a supporting housing (5) that is deployed by internal pneumatic pressure (P1, P0) applied via a membrane or power cylinder. The panel can be made rigid by the pneumatic system as it is deployed, and the pneumatic pressure is kept at a minimal level or controlled by sensors to avoid injury to a passenger or any other person.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for reducing a gap between a platform and a vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1.

Several systems are well known US5584493 , US 5538265 , US2925876 having dis-positives on board a vehicle at an access of said vehicle and comprising at least one step of a pneumatically deployable stairway to the outside of the vehicle.

When approaching a vehicle along a platform (or sidewalk), there are often gaps here called gaps, as well as a vertical gap between the platform and the floor of the vehicle, which can make it difficult to access. example of a person in a wheelchair, a baby stroller, a trolley, etc. in the vehicle from the dock and vice versa.

1. a) Sur les autobus, des palettes rétractables ou amovibles, de relativement grandes dimensions, de l'ordre de 1 m x 1 m. Ces palettes permettent l'embarquement des usagers en fauteuil roulant depuis le niveau d'un trottoir, même très bas, mais présentent de nombreux inconvénients :
   • le temps de déploiement est de l'ordre de la minute. La manoeuvre n'est donc pas systématique à tous les arrêts. Elle se fait sur demande de l'usager, avec des temps morts et les aléas que cela comporte ;
   • le déploiement n'est pas possible sur un quai à hauteur voisine de celle du plancher du véhicule. Un quai relati
   • vement bas est donc imposé, ce qui handicape les autres usagers ;
   • le déploiement de la palette peut être rendu impossible par des obstacles sur le quai ;
   • la complexité de la mécanique conduit à une fiabilité médiocre, ceci étant aggravé par le fait que le mécanisme peut rester longtemps inutilisé ;
   • l'encombrement important de la palette peut rendre son logement difficile dans le véhicule.
2. b) Sur les tramways et quelques métros, des palettes déployables de petite dimension c'est-à-dire de 3 à 15 cm de large. Ces palettes présentent les inconvénients suivants :
   • soit elles n'ont qu'un déplacement horizontal, et elles ne compensent pas l'écart vertical ;
   • soit elles se rabattent sur le quai, mais celui-ci doit alors être nettement plus bas que le plancher du véhicule, d'où une gêne pour les autres usagers.

Devices for solving these problems are known. They consist of:

1. a) On the buses, retractable or removable pallets of relatively large dimensions, of the order of 1 mx 1 m. These pallets allow the boarding of wheelchair users from the level of a sidewalk, even very low, but have many disadvantages:
   • the deployment time is of the order of a minute. The maneuver is not systematic at all stops. It is done at the request of the user, with dead times and the hazards that entails;
   • deployment is not possible on a platform close to that of the vehicle floor. A relative quay
   • Low maintenance is therefore imposed, which handicaps other users;
   • the deployment of the pallet can be made impossible by obstacles on the platform;
   • the complexity of the mechanics leads to poor reliability, this being aggravated by the fact that the mechanism can remain unused for a long time;
   • the large size of the pallet can make its housing difficult in the vehicle.
2. (b) On trams and some subways, deployable pallets of small size, that is to say 3 to 15 cm wide. These pallets have the following drawbacks:
   • either they have only a horizontal displacement, and they do not compensate for the vertical difference;
   • either they fall back on the platform, but it must be significantly lower than the floor of the vehicle, causing discomfort for other users.

Such a system is described in the document EP0913307A1 . the document serves as a basis for the preamble of revendiation 1 and proposes a device for reducing a gap between a platform and a vehicle comprising a platform access surface disposed laterally to said vehicle. Pneumatic deployment means disposed beneath the vehicle access surface interacts with a tilting member. The pneumatic deployment means comprises at least one flexible jack ideally extending the access to the vehicle. Under the effect of deployment, the tilting element causes at its upper end a platform (pallet) horizontal out of the chassis to the dock.

Deployment approach systems from the dock to a vehicle access also require precision, therefore remain expensive and are often doomed to raphid wear by friction with parts of the docking vehicle. They are also slow to avoid shocks to the vehicle, which significantly increases the downtime of a bus for example. This is particularly the case for a pallet device with successive motions horizontal and vertical helping access to disabled people, once however, they managed, at the risk of the remaining gap, on the device for a climb for example.

In particular, the law of February 11, 2005 in France relating, inter alia, to the accessibility of public transport reinforces the need for effective improvement of accessibility, for example for buses.

An object of the present invention is therefore to provide an effective device for improving the accessibility between a platform and a vehicle. It would also be preferable to offer, among other things, a simple, reliable and quickly usable device.

This objective can be achieved from a gap reduction device between a platform (floor, sidewalk, etc.) and a vehicle (ground, naval and / or air (or even space) ground such as for example an automobile, a trailer, truck, bus, wagon or train / metro / tram car, boat or airplane) including an access surface to the wharf (flat surface such as a floor, inclined surface, stair step / pallet, etc) disposed laterally to said vehicle, with the aid of a pneumatic deployment means, disposed under the access to the vehicle, which interacts with a tilting element which, in tilting position, serves as a bridge between the access surface and the platform, a remaining gap can be advantageously filled in a simple way (because use of few elements) and effective (because deployment and tilting reduces the gap to zero cm horizontally and create a ramp non-blocking for the wheel s vertically).

In the case of gaps less than 20 cm, the system can be simply fixed / added to the vehicle (and not the dock), which makes it easy and universal to install on vehicles currently in service. It is also easy to access, quickly removable or interchangeable and easy to maintain in case of maintenance.
In the case of gaps greater than 20 cm, the system may be attached to the dock or any stable landing surface. The number of mechanical parts used remains minimal, which makes the device very simple, therefore reliable. A reduced volume of the device also makes it possible to integrate it easily at the lower level of access to the vehicle, even for vehicles with low floor or whose floor height is also (separately from this device) regulated in height to decrease an excessive effect of walking between the platform and the vehicle.

The duration of deployment or retraction is less than 2 or 3 seconds, so fast during a bus stop or departure for example. The current duration of passenger ascent or descent between vehicle and platform is also unchanged as the short deployment / retraction time may be included ("hidden") in the duration of the vehicle door opening or closing. . The deployment can be systematic at each opening of the doors regardless of the presence of UFR or other persons with reduced mobility.

The materials used are chosen in line with the high number of systematic and frequent deployments / retractions in order to guarantee the service life of the elements of the device subjected to friction. These friction between mechanical elements are minimized by the choice of materials. Friction surfaces can also be covered with Teflon® to minimize friction. Resilient materials and / or coatings are used for the pneumatic deployment means (such as one or more kinds of elastomer) and the tilting element (such as reinforced neoprene). Similarly, at least one surface of the tilting element has properties allowing a good adhesion to the passage over the bridge (that is to say in the deployed position of the device) of passengers and / or objects.

A set of subclaims also has considerable advantages of the invention.

In particular, the pneumatic deployment means may comprise at least one flexible jack such as an inflatable membrane, extensible or not, which is ideally alongside the access to the vehicle. The non-extensible materials for the jack are, however, too rigid and therefore not very able to be inflated easily and quickly. Conversely, a very deformable material (neoprene, rubber ...) may be too fragile and therefore possess a life too limited for systematic use. The addition of reinforcement on / in the material may present a way of improvement, but at the cost of a more complex manufacture of the cylinder.

This is why the pneumatic deployment means may also comprise at least two flexible cylinders arranged laterally under the access to the vehicle and each ideally along the access to the vehicle. This makes it possible to use for each jack a customary material of manufacture and for example extensible / deformable while ensuring a service life adapted to the device with frequent deployments.

The tilting element may be a stiffened part of the pneumatic deployment means, that is to say for example a rigid coating of one of the surfaces of the flexible cylinder which during deployment, so by tilting during inflation of the cylinder of the cylinder, closes the gap and act as a bridge between the platform and access to the vehicle. The stiffened portion may also be a series of weakly deformable frames contiguous to the outer surface of the flexible jack.

The tilting element may also be a separate element of the flexible cylinder. It then comprises at least one flap or flap provided with an axis of rotation ideally along the access to the vehicle. By inflation of the cylinder, a pressure is then applied to the flap which is therefore rotated to rock until its free end comes into contact with the edge of the dock. The gap is filled.

The present device or at least the pneumatic deployment means can also be built into a housing whose tilting element (for example the rotary shutter) ideally forms, in the state of deployment, a closing or opening face of the casing and consisting. The way pneumatic deployment and the tilting element can thus be integrated in or themselves constitute a partially hermetic module, avoiding in particular any introduction of external elements in the retracted position of the device (when moving the vehicle between the quays) . Of course, the pneumatic deployment means and the tilting element can also be integrated into or themselves constitute a hermetic module, thus avoiding in particular any introduction of external elements regardless of the position of the device. This can be achieved by simply adding deployable sealing means such as a bellows fencing an opening surface of varying size. Also, a flexible cylinder can also be simply fixed directly under the floor at the access to the vehicle and include a single face deformable in the lateral direction to activate the tilting of the flap. An additional housing or a housing system constituted by the deployment means and the tilting element themselves are therefore possible to achieve, and protect the device against external factors or facilitate the installation of the device.

Not shown graphically in the present invention, the pneumatic deployment means is controlled by solenoid valves for inflation and deflation of said means. In particular, the solenoid valves provide a minimum duration of inflation and deflation. In addition, the pneumatic deployment means is then subjected to a minimum pressure to ensure a lift required in deployed mode (the bridge must be kept stable against the platform) and, during deployment, at a maximum safe pressure to avoid any injury. inadvertently, for example a member of a person placed between the dock and the vehicle shortly before deployment of the device.

The pneumatic deployment means ideally extends over a length greater than or equal to 50 cm along the access to the vehicle. This length is of course a function of the access width and the inflation kinematics of the flexible jack used. In this perspective, several flexible cylinders can also be placed end to end along the access to the vehicle.

By this means, the pneumatic means of deployment allows a reduction of lateral and / or vertical gap of a few centimeters between the dock and access to the vehicle. It is also possible, at the cost of more complexity, to couple the pneumatic deployment means to deployment control sensors. These sensors can be optical or tactile to better estimate the extent or location of the gap to be reduced. These sensors can be placed on the vehicle or on the platform.

The amplitude of deployment can be easily regulated by solenoid valves and depend on threshold pressures to avoid any accident such as a pinch of a member of a user between the dock and the vehicle. Because the deployment can be pressure-controlled, gaps of different sizes can be filled in entirely. This provides increased flexibility in sizing the gap-gap device, particularly for vehicles whose distance from the dock may vary between successive lashings. This is the case of buses or boats.

By the present invention it is thus possible to use the device as an auxiliary bridge between a platform and a land vehicle, naval and / or air ground such as for example an automobile, a trailer, a truck, a bus, a wagon or train / tram car, boat or plane. The invention is of course not restrictive on the type of vehicle, but also on the type of dock. Thus, it would be entirely possible to use this device for trolleys to be loaded / unloaded on an automated freight transport line.

The vehicle can also interact with a vehicle guidance system relative to the dock, to improve a first positioning thereof relative to the dock and thus ensure a dimension adapted to the present device for a remaining gap.

Figure 1

un premier dispositif avec un moyen de déploiement à membrane,

Figure 2

un deuxième dispositif à moyens de déploiement étagés en position rétractée,

Figure 3

le deuxième dispositif à moyens de déploiement étagés en position déployée,

Figure 4

un troisième dispositif à moyens de déploiement étagés avec passerelle intégrée.

Examples of implementation and application are provided using the figures described:

Figure 1

a first device with a membrane deployment means,

Figure 2

a second device with staged deployment means in the retracted position,

Figure 3

the second device with staged deployment means in the deployed position,

Figure 4

a third device with staged deployment means with integrated gateway.

Figure 1 represents a first device with a flexible membrane deployment means 4.
This device therefore allows a gap reduction between a platform 1 and a vehicle comprising an access surface 2 (floor of the vehicle) to the platform 1 disposed laterally to said vehicle. The pneumatic deployment means 4, arranged under the access surface 2 to the vehicle, interacts with a tilting element 3 (rotary flap) which, in the tilting position (see arrow of rotation), serves as a bridge between the access surface and the platform. Here, the pneumatic deployment means 4 comprises a single flexible jack 4 ideally along the access to the vehicle. In the retracted position of the jack 4, an internal pressure P0 is applied allowing the portion shown in dotted line to be housed in the perimeter of a base-case 5 fixed under the floor 2 of the vehicle. As will be better described at figure 3 the use of at least one return spring, connecting the flap 3 to the base-housing 5, allows a faster retraction when the internal pressure P0 is equal to the atmospheric pressure. In addition, it imposes a deployment limitation that maintains the angle of the bridge to a value compatible with a low risk of sliding when the flap 3 is not abutting on the dock. Finally, the spring or springs are required to reduce the stresses at the creases of the cylinder or cylinders and also avoids sagging to the support of one or more passengers or objects. The jack 4 is then fixed to the base-case 5 at a point 6. This base-case 5 is optional for the invention, but provides better protection for the device, as well as a lateral stop point for the jack which is thus stopped on one of its sides, unlike the other which activates the rotary shutter 3 whose axis of rotation 7 is placed for example directly at the edge of the floor 2 of the vehicle. In inflation position of the cylinder 4 under increased pressure P1, the dotted surface extends and pushes the flap 3 against the platform 1. In final deployment position, the flap 3 is in contact or / and resting on a wall of the pier 1.
A sealing element 8, such as a bellows membrane, closes the variable spacing between the free end of the flap 3 and the lower part of the jack 4, so as to prevent external objects such as pebbles from becoming lodged in the chamber. device, thus remaining airtight. This configuration makes it possible to protect the device against any factor external whatever the position of the device. In practice, it is important to protect the device against these external factors when moving the vehicle, so in the retracted position. The bellows 8 is an optional element, as the flap 3 at least close the device in the retracted position. A solenoid valve for regulating the internal pressure P0, P1 in the jack 4 is not shown to simplify the figure. A fixed side (composed of at least one point 6) on which the cylinder 4 is held, must be rigidly fixed to the floor to resume the pressurizing forces of the cylinder 4 and the loads applied to the shutter 3 by the passengers or objects.

The figure 2 represents a second device with staged deployment means in retracted position (internal cylinder pressure P0). The principle of deployment / retraction of the device is identical to that of the figure 1 . Here, three flexible cylinders 41, 42, 43 are arranged side by side under the floor 2 in the direction of the platform 1. The use of several jacks thus arranged allows to choose cylinders whose materials are more common and better suited to our invention . The sealing member 8 is no longer shown, but could of course be used.

The figure 3 represents the second device with staged deployment means in the deployed position (cylinder internal pressure P1). In the manner of cylinder 4 of the figure 1 , the three cylinders 41, 42, 43 are pressurized and by the action of their deformation push the flap 3 against the platform 1, which allows to play the role of auxiliary bridge with the vehicle. For retraction of the shutter or the general retention of the flap against the flexible cylinder 41, a spring 9 is provided which connects the flap 3 to a fixed point under the floor 2 of the vehicle.

It is preferable that the portion of the shutter 3 in contact with the platform 1 is flexible to avoid the punching of the platform 1, and resistant to withstand wear during residual vertical movements of the floor 2 of the vehicle and the shutter 3 during the climb / descent of passengers.

The figure 4 represents a third device with tiered deployment means with integrated gateway 3 instead of part 3 of the previous ones Figures 1, 2 , 3 . The surface of the cylinder 41 closest to the dock is here stiffened by a coating or reinforcements that allow to use the same surface such as stable footbridge (and anti-slip) for the passengers of a bus.

List of abbreviations

1

dock

2

vehicle access area

three

tilting element (ex: shutter)

4, 41, 42, 43

diaphragm / pneumatic cylinder

5

housing / support

6

fixing element

7

rotation axis

8

waterproofing membrane

9

spring

P0, P1

membrane internal pressure / pneumatic cylinder

Claims (14)

1. Device for shortening a gap between a platform (1) and a vehicle comprising an access surface (2) to the platform (1) placed sideways to said vehicle,
   pneumatic means of deployment (4, 41, 42, 43), placed under the access surface (2) to the vehicle, interact with a tip-up element (3),
   the pneumatic means of deployment (4, 41, 42, 43) comprises at least a supple jack ideally running along the access to the vehicle,
   the tip-up element (3), in up position, is used as a footbridge between the access surface and the platform
   characterized in that an axis of rotation (7) of the tip-up element is placed straight to hedge level of the access surface (2).
2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the pneumatic means f deployment (4, 41, 42, 43) comprise at least two supple jacks placed sideways under the access to the vehicle and each ideally running along the access to the vehicle.
3. Device according to anyone of previous claims, wherein the tip-up element (3) is a rigidified part of the pneumatic means of deployment.
4. Device according to anyone of previous claims 1 to 3, wherein the tip-up element (3) comprises at least one flap having an axis of rotation (7) running ideally along the access to the vehicle.
5. Device according to one of claims 3 or 4, wherein the pneumatic means of deployment (4, 41, 42, 43) are able to fit in a housing (5) whose tip-up element (3) forms a closing or opening wall according to the state of deployment.
6. Device according to anyone of previous claims, wherein the pneumatic means of deployment (4, 41, 42, 43) and the tip-up element (3) are fitting into or are parts of a partially hermetic module, in particular avoiding any insertion of external elements in retracted position of the device.
7. Device according to anyone of previous claims, wherein the pneumatic means of deployment (4, 41, 42, 43) and the tip-up element (3) are fitting into or are parts of a partially hermetic module, in particular avoiding any insertion of external elements independently of the device position.
8. Device according to anyone of previous claims, wherein the pneumatic means of deployment (4, 41, 42, 43) are controlled by solenoid valves enabling a blowing up and letting air out of said means.
9. Device according to anyone of previous claims, wherein the pneumatic means of deployment (4, 41, 42, 43) are stretching ideally over a length greater or equal to 50cm along the access to the vehicle.
10. Device according to anyone of previous claims, wherein the pneumatic means of deployment (4, 41, 42, 43) enable a shortening of lateral and/or vertical gap of a few centimetres between the platform (1) and the access to the vehicle (2).
11. Device according to anyone of previous claims, wherein the pneumatic means of deployment (4, 41, 42, 43) are subjected to a minimal pressure to ensure a required bearing capacity in deployed mode and, during the deployment, to a maximal safety pressure against an injury by mistake, for example of the limb of a person between the platform (1) and the vehicle.
12. Device according to anyone of previous claims, wherein the pneumatic means of deployment (4, 41, 42, 43) are couple with deployment control sensors.
13. Use of the device according to anyone of previous claims as an extra footbridge between a platform (1) and a land, sea and/or air-grounded vehicle such as for example an automobile, a trailer, a truck, a bus, a coach or car of a train/trolley/subway, a boat or a plane.
14. Use of the device according to claim 10, wherein the vehicle interacts with a guiding system of the vehicle in comparison to the platform (1).

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